Since August 2021, a mighty construction crane operated mostly 18-hour days for six days a week on the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple.
The 270-foot crane was so large that when crews dismantled it this week, it took them from Monday through Wednesday to do it.
You can watch the process in a time-lapse video posted on the Instagram page of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Skilled operators had employed what was known as the north tower crane to lift and place large stones, mechanical systems and other structural pieces during the renovation of the pioneer-era temple.
On Monday, crews from Mountain Crane erected a second, 800-ton crane to help remove the north tower crane. Then they spent two days — and worked through the night — painstakingly dismantling the north tower crane and loading it onto semi-trucks for transport.
They finally took down the 800-ton crane on Wednesday.
“When the cranes start to come down, this milestone is typically a sign that the heavy and hard-to-reach material is in place,” Jacobsen Construction general foreman Steve Quintana said. “It frees up area for more work to be completed.”
The north tower crane had been able to lift up to 35,000 pounds at its base and 10,000 pounds at its tip.
“I have never been on a project in my 32 years with Jacobsen that a tower crane has stood this long,” Quintana said.
The south tower crane will smash that personal best. It has been on site longer than the north tower crane was, and will continue in place until next spring.
Workers already have begun to replace some of the historic temple’s outer wall.
That work includes demolishing the old plant bed and stairs, installing new stairs and an accessible ramp and updating lighting, irrigation and plantings.
The Relief Society Building project is expected to be completed by spring.
For more information on the renovation and upcoming open house celebration, visit TempleSquare.org.